


‘Tis the Season

by strid



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Holidays, M/M, POV Uchiha Sasuke, Romance, Slice of Life, Uchiha Sasuke-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21775027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strid/pseuds/strid
Summary: In which Naruto loves Christmas and Sasuke is just barely able to tolerate his boyfriend’s antics.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 24
Kudos: 169





	1. The Tree

Sasuke feels his eye begin to twitch.

“Hear me out,” Naruto laughs, a grin splitting his face. “The one on the left — wait, sorry, my left, your right — is the perfect shape, but it’s just a _bit_ too short, you know? And I mean the other one is nice, but it’s kind of bushy. Like if — “

“Naruto,” Sasuke bites out, leveling his boyfriend with a flat glare. “Just choose one.” Naruto throws his hands in the air.

“But _how_ am I supposed to pick? It’s like Goldilocks, neither of these are right.” Naruto cranes his head back and surveys the aisles of trees they’d spent the better part of the day walking up and down. “Maybe there’s one we missed...“ Sasuke tilts his head skyward and nearly gets a branch in the eye for his effort. He sighs.

Sasuke can’t say he’s always disliked Christmas. He never celebrated it until he met Naruto, so, for most of his life, it had just been another day on the calendar. Sasuke had never tried to avoid the Christmas fever, had even watched a few of the movies and listened to a few of the songs out of curiosity, but he never actively participated in its festivities. He treated the holiday season as more of a spectacle, a time of year to observe this odd tradition of people running themselves ragged shopping and decorating all in the name of some mildly creepy old man.

And then came Naruto.

Sasuke and Naruto have known each other for years; since primary school, in fact. Sasuke hadn’t noticed Naruto at first, had barely even glanced in his direction. Naruto, meanwhile, had apparently been downright obsessed with Sasuke since day one. He claims it was Sasuke’s accent that first caught his attention. That and the fact that Sasuke acted like he had a stick permanently wedged up his ass 24/7 and always had to be perfect at everything. But mostly the accent. This rings fairly true for Sasuke, especially since his first interaction with Naruto involved the blond boy running up to him at lunch and asking “why do you talk funny?” Sasuke didn’t particularly know how to answer, hadn’t even realized he had an accent. He spoke a different language at home, an old, ancient tongue that few practiced nowadays, so he supposed it wasn’t unreasonable that his words carried a slight lilt. Sasuke hadn’t known how to articulate all of that at the age of six, though, so he’d just grunted and walked away. Which had only served to exacerbate the situation, since Naruto apparently vowed to never leave him alone after that moment.

Not to say that they became friends, by any means. But Sasuke would be lying if he said he didn’t start paying a bit more attention to the loud blond boy at the back of the class. He felt drawn to him, for some odd reason, and he could tell that Naruto felt the same towards him. They didn’t like each other — no, that definitely wasn’t it. In fact, their vague intrigue had transformed to outright dislike by middle school, and Sasuke found himself fighting with Naruto anytime they happened to be in the same general area. The fights were mostly verbal, Naruto and Sasuke slinging insults at each other over the heads of other students, but sometimes they devolved into kicks and punches, faces shoved into the dirt, elbows jabbed between ribs.

Then the car crash happened and Sasuke just...stopped.

Sasuke doesn’t remember a lot from that time. He has a vague memory of a police officer on a rainy night, of his brother holding him tightly against his chest. He remembers sleeping in a dark room, remembers the feeling of a scratchy blanket against his skin. And he remembers the first day he went back to school, remembers the stares and whispers; he remembers Naruto, the concern that clouded his bright blue eyes when he caught sight of him. Naruto had tried to approach him, struggling through the flood of students crowding the hallway. Sasuke isn’t sure what Naruto had wanted to say or do, all he knows is that he had walked down the hall before Naruto had the chance to reach him.

They didn’t talk for a few years after that. Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to bother acknowledging any of Naruto’s taunts, and Naruto later confided that he hadn’t known how to approach Sasuke if they weren’t fighting. Sasuke knew that he was to blame for their separation— everything in his life felt like it was slipping away, and he was just drifting off with it. He stopped paying attention in class, stopped turning in assignments; it got to the point that he stopped showing up entirely. Itachi was concerned, obviously. He desperately tried to coax him out of his room, tried to get him the help he needed. Sasuke refused him each time, willed him to leave him alone so he could just fade out of existence. Looking back, he doesn’t know if there’s anything Itachi could have said that would’ve made him listen. He had fallen apart completely, and he didn’t know how to even begin putting himself back together.

Sasuke once told Naruto that he was the only reason that Sasuke was still alive. He hadn’t really meant to say it: he was drunk, lying half naked in bed with Naruto, staring at the moonlight pouring through the blinds, and it just slipped out. He felt good, happy even, and the knowledge settled within him that, only a few months ago, he very well might have done something that would have prevented him from ever getting to live in this moment. Or any moment, for that matter. For the first time in years, he was actually content.

Naruto had groggily turned towards him, nuzzling his face into the crook of Sasuke’s neck. “Does that make me your Prince Charming?” This remark made Sasuke pause, the shock that he had actually spoken out loud flooding his veins. Then he felt the warmth of Naruto’s smile against his skin, and he felt himself begin to relax.

He scoffed. “Shut up, loser.”

Naruto didn’t remember the exchange the next day. Sasuke was relieved, mostly because it meant he wouldn’t have to live through endless Prince Charming jokes, but his realization stuck with him nonetheless. Had Naruto not passed by when he did, Sasuke didn’t know where he would’ve ended up.

Sasuke still didn’t understand what possessed Naruto to stop; Naruto couldn’t even fully explain why he had done it. The two hadn’t spoken for at least two years, and Sasuke had barely even spared Naruto a passing thought as the months sped by. So when Naruto‘s car came to a grinding halt in front of him, the blond sticking his head out of the window with a lopsided grin on his face, Sasuke had been slightly caught off guard.

It had been a cold day, nearly freezing by Sasuke’s standards, and, of course, his car crapped out. He should’ve seen it coming when he woke up that morning, should’ve asked Itachi to give him a ride once he saw the frost on his window, but he was stubborn and also didn’t particularly want to spend forty-five uninterrupted minutes with his brother. He would’ve stayed home entirely, but he had a “mandatory” meeting with a therapist, one of the few conciliations he’d made with Itachi to get him off his back. So he’d taken his car out of the parking garage and prayed that it would survive being exposed to the elements for at least a few hours.

It didn’t.

Sasuke arrived by one, left the building by two, and was halfway home when his car sputtered and died in the middle of some back road. He’d spent an hour hopelessly trying to get it started again, trying desperately to avoid having to call Itachi. He was leaning over the hood, staring intently at the machinery when he finally realized the futility of his actions. He cursed emphatically, sat down on the curb in defeat, and called for a tow truck. The company came, he signed all the paperwork, and once his car was gone he stared at his phone, trying to convince himself that calling his brother wouldn’t be too bad, that Sasuke could divert Itachi’s attention away from his general well-being by harping on the fact that he no longer had a car to use. It was then that he heard the low hum of a motor, followed soon by the screech of tires on asphalt.

“Hey!” Sasuke jerked up at the sound of the voice, coming face to face with the side of a bright orange car that had stopped alongside him. He stared at it uncomprehendingly.

“Sasuke?” He looked over at the sound of his name and saw Naruto practically leaning out of the driver’s side window. The blond gave him a blindingly bright smile. “Hey! What’s up?” Sasuke stared at him for another moment, trying to figure out why Naruto was here, why he was talking to him, why he was being _pleasant_ towards him, before he gave up and shoved his phone into his pocket. 

“Car trouble,” he grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. Naruto blinked.

“Did it get towed?” Sasuke glared at the blond, annoyed at the fact that this conversation was even happening, and nodded.

“Yeah.” Naruto was quiet for a moment, seeming to be thinking something over. Then he motioned towards the passenger seat of his orange monstrosity.

“You want a ride?” Sasuke looked at him, not completely understanding the direction the conversation had gone in. 

“What?”

Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Uh, a ride home? I mean, if your car’s been towed you’re gonna have to find a way to get home somehow, right? I mean I’m sure you could call someone, but if you didn’t want to wait I could...” Naruto trailed off, gesturing vaguely. “You know. If you wanted.”

Sasuke cocked his head, staring at the blond. His initial instinct was to refuse, to tell the moron to piss off and just wait on the side of the road for Itachi to come and get him so he could suffer through an awkward car ride as his brother tried to talk to him about his mind-set. Then a cold wind blew past, and Sasuke’s teeth began to chatter. It was, at most, a twenty minute ride from here to their apartment. He’d survive.

“Fine,” he ground out, pushing himself up and walking briskly towards the passenger side of Naruto’s car. He pulled at the handle roughly and practically threw himself into the seat, sighing in relief as he felt the warmth start to thaw his frigid skin. They sat in silence until Naruto started shifting in his seat.

“Um, so, where do you live, uh, exactly?” Sasuke glanced over at the blond, who was looking anywhere but at Sasuke.

“Shimura Complex. It’s by the mall.” Naruto nodded, putting his car back in drive and flexing his hands against the ripped fabric of the steering wheel.

“Cool, cool.” Sasuke stared at Naruto for another short moment, then leaned back and shut his eyes.

Naruto, however, apparently felt compelled to keep up a conversation. “So, uh, how’s everything been?” Sasuke opened his eyes in dismay, catching sight of an unsightly stain above him before turning towards the blond.

“What?” Naruto’s eyes darted towards him, then focused back on the road.

“How have you...been?” He asked again, haltingly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

“We don’t have to do this.” Naruto looked at him quickly. 

“Do what?”

Sasuke gestured between them. “This. We’re not friends.” Naruto’s face scrunched up in consternation.

“We’re friends,” Naruto insisted. Sasuke scoffed.

“We haven’t talked in years. We’re not friends.” Naruto shrunk in his seat, tapping his hands erratically against the steering wheel.

“I consider you a friend,” he mumbled. “I mean just cause you stopped talking to me...“ the blond trailed off, an uncomfortable silence descending between them. Sasuke stared at him, suddenly alarmed by the entire situation. Naruto glanced over and met his gaze, rolled his shoulders back self consciously. “Sorry, I don’t want to...sorry, you can just forget I said anything.” Sasuke felt himself nodding.

“Okay.”

More silence.

“Shimura Complex, right?” Sasuke nodded again, turning his head to stare out the window.

“Yeah, Shimura Complex.”

The rest of the car ride was silent. Sasuke didn’t mind, had really just been glad he’d avoided having his brother’s undivided attention. After all, Naruto Uzumaki was not his friend, so he hardly thought he had to worry about this developing into anything. It was a one time thing, and once Naruto dropped him off, Sasuke had promptly expected that they would go back to not speaking.

He had been very, very wrong.

“Hey, uh, do you need a ride to school by, uh, any chance?” Sasuke held the cell phone against his ear, staring sleepily at his ceiling.

“How did you get my number?” He was met with the sound of Naruto’s breathing.

“That’s...not important.” Sasuke raised a hand to wipe at his eyes, feeling a headache begin to form at his temples. “So, do you need a ride? You know, since you don’t have a car and all. Unless you have another you can use or you’re getting a ride from someone else, I mean I don’t know your situation or anything so —”

And that’s how Sasuke ended up going to school for the first time in weeks.

Itachi was at the kitchen table when he walked to the door. He was bent over his textbook, his reading glasses balanced on his nose as he flipped through the pages. He only glanced up briefly, likely assuming Sasuke had come to get something to eat, but quickly did a double take when he saw his brother fully dressed. The memory of Itachi’s startled face still provides Sasuke with a certain amount of satisfaction. 

“You’re going out?” Sasuke turned to his brother, his backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Yeah, I have a ride to school.”

Itachi kept his face carefully composed, the textbook lying forgotten on the table. “School.” He repeated. “You’re going to school?” Sasuke nodded.

“I’ll see you tonight.” And then he left, taking the stairs two at a time and walking out to the street where Naruto was waiting for him in his ugly orange car, a grin plastered on his face.

It became a routine, Naruto picking Sasuke up and driving them to school, then dropping Sasuke back at the apartment. The first few rides were stilted, awkward as they tried to figure out how to communicate with each other again. Soon it became normal, both of them getting used to each other’s idiosyncrasies. Sasuke, for one, learned that Naruto managed to blabber even more when he had a test that day, the nerves apparently making him even more hyper than usual. Naruto, in turn, learned that Sasuke didn’t like to talk on his best days, but certainly didn’t talk before he’d had at least one cup of coffee.

And so began their odd brand of friendship.

Sasuke remembers Itachi being considerably unnerved by it all, especially when Sasuke actually invited Naruto into their apartment.

Sasuke hadn’t thought much about telling Naruto to come inside. The loser had been bitching at him to go eat at a ramen shack in town, and Sasuke eventually relented and said he’d go with him after school; he just had to stop by the apartment to grab some cash first. So they parked outside, and Naruto immediately began rocking in his seat, pursing his lips as he admitted he had to go to the bathroom.

So Sasuke, reasonably, told Naruto to come up to the apartment because he would damned if Naruto floored it to the ramen place and almost killed them in the process all because he had to take a piss. 

Itachi had his headphones in when Sasuke opened the door, probably blasting a soundtrack from some obscure orchestra performance while he tried to study for his exams. He didn’t look up when Sasuke and Naruto walked by, and the only reason he saw them when they were leaving was because Naruto made a ruckus and nearly knocked over his mother’s favorite lamp. 

Itachi glanced up briefly, mildly disinterested now that he was used to Sasuke leaving the apartment regularly, but quickly jerked his head up again when he realized his little brother was not, in fact, alone. He pulled his headphones off. Sasuke returned his brother’s gaze while Naruto awkwardly shuffled his feet.

“Yeah?” Sasuke asked when it became evident that Itachi wasn’t going to say anything. This had clearly shocked Itachi out of whatever reverie he had been trapped in, because he immediately leveled Naruto with a calculated stare, appearing to try and rationalize the fact that his little brother actually had a friend. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“Itachi, this is Naruto. He’s the one that’s been giving me rides to school.” Naruto gave Itachi a small wave, grinning shyly.

“Nice to meet you!” Itachi blinked.

“Nice to...meet you too?” He glanced over at Sasuke. “And you’re...going out?” He chose his words carefully, acting like he might scare Sasuke away if he said the wrong thing. Sasuke tapped his foot against the linoleum, agitated now.

“Yeah, we’re getting food. Is that a problem?” Itachi shook his head, silently considering Sasuke.

“It’s fine. Just...don’t be out too late.” Sasuke nodded, grabbing Naruto by the arm and hauling him towards the door.

“Great, l’ll see you later.”

Despite the strained quality of their first conversation, Naruto and Itachi actually ended up getting along quite well. Naruto became a staple at their apartment, staying over for dinner, sleeping on the pull out couch, even shoving a few of his clothes into their extremely cramped closet. He became akin to family, so when Itachi was being a nosy bastard and saw Naruto kiss Sasuke for the first time, he’d practically beamed.

It hadn’t been their first kiss, but it was when kissing each other still felt like a novel experience. It had happened at the doorway, Naruto needing to leave the apartment to get a few things from his house. He’d given Sasuke a quick peck before he left. Sasuke had seen Itachi walking down the hall towards them a second before Naruto dipped his head to touch their lips together, muttering under his breath about one thing or another. Naruto then left, and Sasuke saw his brother look as shell shocked as he’d ever seen him.

Then he saw a guileful smirk make its way onto Itachi’s face and he knew, deep down in his heart, that he was fucked.

“We’re not doing this.” 

Itachi’s eyes lit up. “You’re not going to tell me how this developed?” Sasuke groaned, moving away from the door.

“No, because it’s none of your business.” Itachi followed him to the couch and plopped down next to him, relentless in his pursuit of details regarding Sasuke’s personal life.

“You’re really not going to tell me?” He jabbed Sasuke in the arm. “What if I ask nicely?” Sasuke leaned his head against the back of the couch.

“Brother, I don’t want to talk to you about my sex life.” He started when Itachi roughly pushed him.

“ _You’re sleeping together?_ I swear Sasuke, if you’re not being safe —“ Sasuke leaned over and put his head into his hands, feeling his face beginning to warm.

“Holy _shit_ Itachi. It’s fine. We’re being safe. Please stop.” He stayed curled over for another moment, then peaked up to see his brother looking down at him with a small smile.

“You like him?” Sasuke buried his face again, and gave his brother a small nod. He jerked when his brother gave him a hard slap on the back in return.

“He seems like a good kid, I’m happy for you. Just don’t be morons about it.” Sasuke groaned again, feeling the couch shift as his brother stood up.

Things moved fast after that. Sasuke became far more comfortable with Naruto, especially regarding PDA now that his brother knew about their relationship. He got his act together, started going to class more, handing in assignments, taking his therapy sessions seriously. They applied to colleges, and they both got accepted into the local university. Sasuke moved out of his brother’s apartment in his sophomore year, began sharing an off campus house with Naruto. And their relationship grew.

And then shit hit the fan, because Naruto realized Sasuke didn’t celebrate Christmas.

Sasuke still has no idea why it took Naruto so long to notice that neither he nor his brother celebrated the holiday. He supposed it may have had to do with the fact that he and Naruto had never actually spent Christmas together until that sophomore year, as Naruto typically went out west to visit his godfather during the holidays. They didn’t exchange gifts, because Sasuke had made it perfectly clear that he absolutely _despised_ presents, and while Naruto had always wished him a Merry Christmas, he supposed that it never dawned on the blond that he was alone in his celebration.

“What do you _mean_ you don’t celebrate Christmas? I’ve known you for _years_ , how the hell did I not know that you don’t celebrate Christmas?” Sasuke glanced up from his textbook.

“Because you’re a dunce.” Naruto narrowed his eyes at him. Sasuke closed his textbook in exasperation, preparing himself for the shit fit that was coming. “Why is it a big deal? Plenty of people don’t celebrate Christmas.” Sasuke could practically see the gears turning in Naruto’s head.

“Can we celebrate Christmas?” Sasuke blinked.

“What?”

“If I don’t go see Jiraiya this year, will you celebrate Christmas with me?” Naruto asked it with such sincerity that any complaint Sasuke had been about to make was expelled from his mind.

“Sure, we can celebrate Christmas.”

It was a decision Sasuke soon learned to regret.

Not that Christmas with Naruto was bad, it was just...a lot. Sasuke gives himself props for making it through two of them. Because Christmas for Naruto was, apparently, not just a single day. It was a month-long, jolly event filled with lights, reindeer, and peppermint. 

Also trees. Because Naruto had a weirdly odd obsession with picking out a _perfectly_ shaped Christmas tree each year. Hence why he was currently watching Naruto guide a smiling old lady up to the two trees he’d been propping up for the past half hour.

“What do _you_ think?” He asks her, appraising the trees at a distance. “I personally think the one is a bit too short, but the other is just too bushy for me to really _love_ , you know?” The old woman nods sagely.

“Hm yes, I see what you mean. What if —“ Naruto gasps, startling the old woman.

“ _That one!_ ” He points across the lot. “That’s the tree!” Sasuke stares at his boyfriend, torn between being eternally grateful that Naruto finally found a tree he liked and unbelievably pissed that said tree was not either of the ones he’d been instructed to hold up for ages.

Naruto throws his arms up, running towards his beloved tree. “Merry Christmas!” Sasuke pushes the trees he’d been holding back against the wooden planks, taking a deep, _deep_ breath.

Merry Christmas, indeed.


	2. The Decorations

Itachi can barely contain his laughter when Sasuke opens the door.

“You have a little...” He gestures vaguely towards Sasuke, his lips thinning in an evident attempt to retain some composure. Sasuke feels his mood plummet even further, and he fixes Itachi with the coldest glare he can muster.

Unfortunately, because Itachi is a sadistic bastard, Sasuke’s expression only serves to delight his brother more.

Itachi smirks at Sasuke. “I know Naruto’s Mr. Christmas and all, but glitter seems a bit...excessive. Even for him.” Sasuke rubs a hand over his face, knowing full well that he probably just got _more_ of the obnoxious red and green glitter all over it, and sighs in defeat.

“I hate you,” he grumbles, throwing the door open and stalking back into the apartment. Itachi coughs and Sasuke _knows_ he does it to hide a laugh because, while Itachi has no real opinion of the holiday himself, he takes a ridiculous amount of joy in the fact that Sasuke celebrates it against his will every year to appease his Christmas-loving boyfriend.

Sasuke drags himself over to the fridge, Itachi following a few steps behind. “So,” Itachi leans on the kitchen counter and starts picking through the candies Naruto had thrown into a red and white striped bowl. “What’s with the glitter?”

Sasuke stands up, water bottle in hand, and points behind Itachi at the offending package sitting on the living room table.

“Glitter bomb.” Itachi glances at it, then turns back to Sasuke with a lifted brow. “Naruto’s moron friend sent it.”

Itachi smirks. “And your dumb ass opened it?” Sasuke sighs and takes a sip of water, ignoring the question entirely because of course he opened it. It was addressed to both of them, after all, and as far as he knew, Christmas wasn’t supposed to involve _pranks_ , so he hardly expected glitter to explode in his face when he pulled the top off.

Understandably, he’d been pissed. Naruto had been out when it happened, still had yet to come home and see the mess the package had made of his boyfriend and living room, but Sasuke imagines Naruto will find it absolutely hilarious when he sees the remnants of glitter stuck in the rug and Sasuke’s hair. About as funny as Itachi finds it right now, actually.

Sasuke glares at his brother. “Stop enjoying this.” Itachi puts his hands up in mock surrender, a smile gracing his features and a small candy cane balanced between his fingers.

“I’m just glad to see that you’re getting in the Christmas spirit,” he chuckles, unwrapping the candy and placing it in his mouth. “It’s not a bad holiday. A bit odd, but not too bad.”

Sasuke scoffs. “You’re not the one who has to celebrate it,” he accuses. “I don’t see a damn tree at your place.” Itachi flips the candy to the other side of his cheek, shrugging.

“I get enough Christmas from you two.” He looks around. “Speaking of which, where is Naruto?”

“He has a final.” Itachi nods, pointing a finger at Sasuke.

“So he hasn’t seen this yet, I’m assuming?” Sasuke rolls his eyes, shakes his head.

“No.”

Itachi glances back over at the glittering mess on their table. “Well, at least it matches the rest of the apartment.”

Sasuke, unfortunately, is inclined to agree.

There isn’t a square foot of the place that had escaped Naruto’s Christmas decorating. Wreathes hang from the windows, garland frames the door, disconcerting Santa dolls sit in various locations around the apartment. Naruto had even tried to put one in the bathroom, an idea which Sasuke immediately vetoed because, while he is willing to tolerate many of Naruto’s Christmas-related fancies, he absolutely refuses to piss and shower in front of a creepy ass doll. So, they had compromised: now their bathroom had Christmas towels and Christmas curtains and a Christmas toilet seat cover and Christmas toilet paper.

Sasuke very much regrets that he didn’t let Naruto just have his damn Santa doll.

Itachi smiles. “At least he’s not dressing you in Christmas sweaters and Christmas hats yet,” he placates.

Sasuke makes a face. “No, he saves that for Christmas Day.” He puts the water bottle down and leans against the counter, grimacing as the bells that line the edge of it jingle. “I hate this holiday.”

“Naruto does seem to take it to an extreme.” Itachi pokes at the tinsel lining the chairs. “You should have him celebrate one of our holidays. Cook him some of that awful food mother used to make.”

Sasuke feels himself beginning to smile at the memory. “None of the holidays we ever celebrated were this annoying.” He flicks a bell, a warm nostalgia bubbling up his chest. “The food was bad, though, wasn’t it?”

“Terrible.” Sasuke looks up at his brother, sees his brother staring back at him. They don’t speak of their parents often, neither of them having the heart to lose themselves in the memories of their childhood. They barely even speak their native tongue anymore, the words feeling empty now that their mother and father aren’t with them. Though while they hardly use the language around each other, it does slip out every now and again, especially when their cousin Shisui calls.

Incidentally, that had been how Naruto first heard him speak it.

“Sasuke!” His cousin’s voice screeched through the phone, making Sasuke grimace and pull the device a few inches away from his ear. Naruto spared a quick look in his direction, momentarily distracted from driving. He cursed quietly when he realized he missed the turn back to Sasuke’s apartment.

Sasuke barely realized that they were driving in the wrong direction, too focused on the sound of the rough dialect that poured out of the phone. Sasuke had been so unaccustomed to hearing his language that it took him a moment to comprehend his cousin was even speaking it. “I need a ride from the airport and Itachi’s not picking up his phone. You have a car, right? Can you pick me up? I really don’t want to have to pay for a cab.” Sasuke lifted a brow.

“I didn’t know you were visiting.” Despite months of disuse, the language rolled off his tongue methodically. Naruto slowed the car to a stop, letting the light in front of him turn from yellow to red, and stared at Sasuke openly, surprise evident on his face. Sasuke glanced at him, then twisted his body away from the blond to try and get some semblance of privacy.

“Itachi didn’t tell you? He probably forgot, he’s been studying for exams, yeah? Either way, can you come and get me? This guy keeps giving me weird looks and I’m starting to get uncomfortable.”

“I don’t have a car, it broke down.” The orange monstrosity lurched forward at the sound of a horn behind them.

“Sounds like you’re in a car right now. Is Itachi with you?”

“I’ve been getting a ride with a friend.” Shisui was silent for a moment.

“A friend,” he repeated, testing the word. “Like a friend or a _friend_? If you know what I mean. Actually, wait, tell me later. Can you and your friend come pick me up?” 

Sasuke huffed a breath. “No, Shisui, Naruto’s not picking you up.” He heard Naruto shift in his seat, likely reacting to the sound of his name.

“Oh, so his name’s _Naruto_ , is it? Well, can you please ask Naruto if he would be willing to drive a mere forty minutes to come and pick up his dear friend’s cousin from the airport?”

“Shisui — “

“Please. I think this guy is following me now and if I end up getting murdered it will one thousand percent be your fault. Also Itachi will be very upset with you since we all know I’m his favorite cousin.” Sasuke sighed and gave Naruto a quick slap on the arm, motioning for the blond to pull over to the side of road.

Naruto, for his part, was more than happy to pick Shisui up. The only member of his family Naruto had officially been introduced to was Itachi, so the blond was likely mildly curious to meet this mysterious cousin. But while his interest in Sasuke’s family certainly played a part in his willingness, Sasuke was sure that Naruto was also trying to extend the car ride so that he could press Sasuke for details about his native language.

“I didn’t know you spoke a different language,” Naruto said, aiming the car towards the ramp that led to the highway.

Sasuke shrugged. “My parents spoke it.” He watched Naruto’s hands tighten and relax.

“Ah, I guess that explains the accent, then.” He drummed his hands against the wheel. “I haven’t, uh, I haven’t heard you and your brother speak it.” It was both a statement and a question.

Sasuke shrugged again, hoping Naruto would just drop the subject. “We don’t speak it much anymore.”

“Oh yeah, definitely, I get it.” A stilted laugh. Silence. It stayed that way for the rest of the ride.

Or at least it did until Shisui got in the car.

Shisui leaned into the backseat, tossing his bag inside and throwing himself in behind it. “Sasuke, Naruto: you have my thanks,” he said, his accented speech dispelling the thick silence that had layered the car. He gave Naruto a grin, shoving his outstretched hand between the two front seats. “Shisui Uchiha, nice to meet you!”

Naruto, apparently unfazed by his cousin’s exuberance, contorted his arm to shake Shisui’s hand. “Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you, too!” He laughed. Shisui reached around and closed a hand around Sasuke’s shoulder.

“He’s cute, are you sure he’s just a _friend_?” Shisui wiggled his brows, switching back to their native tongue to taunt Sasuke. Sasuke felt his cheeks begin to warm.

He grunted and shoved Shisui off of him. “You’re an ass,” he said, refusing to respond to Shisui in their language. While Shisui was only trying to embarrass Sasuke, picking the easiest target available to make Sasuke uncomfortable, his words actually had a hint of truth to them. Not that Sasuke was thinking of Naruto in any sort of romantic light at that point, but he’d seen Naruto steal enough inconspicuous looks in his direction to make him wonder whether the blond wasn’t trying to go in that direction. Even if that was the case, though, Sasuke would be lying if he said that he was bothered by the prospect; honestly, he had barely even thought about it. Sasuke was content to live in his own bubble of ignorance until Naruto decided, if he ever even did decide, to make a move. Then he’d deal with it.

It took a few months, but Naruto did, eventually, make a move and Sasuke did, in fact, have to deal with it.

It had happened at the tail end of the school year. In Naruto’s defense, he _did_ honestly believe that he wasn’t going to be seeing Sasuke again for quite some time. Sasuke couldn’t remember the exact details, but something had come up with Naruto’s god father and the blond was moving out west with him for the foreseeable future. Naruto seemed excited for the change, had been talking about it for weeks, but he always paused when he remembered that he was leaving Sasuke behind as well.

Naruto promised he’d call, of course; the moron had practically created a schedule for when they would talk to each other. He apologized profusely about not being able to drive Sasuke to school anymore, even though they both knew it wasn’t an issue since Sasuke had bought a cheap sedan a few weeks prior. Sasuke hadn’t been sure why Naruto was making such a big deal out of it all. While he’d admit that he maybe, _possibly_ might miss the dope once he left, he knew the feeling would pass eventually. Naruto would just be a blip in Sasuke’s life, a brief spell of something approaching happiness that was ultimately destined to flatline back into his usual miserable shit.

And then Naruto kissed him and changed everything.

He did it on their “last” ride to Sasuke’s apartment. It didn’t end up being the last one since Naruto only ended up going to his god father’s for the summer, but both of them had been under the impression that it was the last time, which is what Sasuke supposes matters. Naruto parked in front of Sasuke’s building and, as Sasuke had been about to get out of the car, placed a hand lightly on his arm.

“Wait.” Naruto’s voice sounded small, a description Sasuke never thought he would use in relation to Naruto. He’d turned back towards the blond, his hand still poised on the door.

“What?” Naruto was looking intently at the center console, biting his lower lip.

“I just...”

Sasuke waited for Naruto to continue and, when he didn’t, had rolled his eyes, thinking Naruto was just worried about the move. “I’ll pick up when you call, dobe.” Naruto nodded.

“I know. I just...” He glanced up at Sasuke, his blue eyes bright. “Can I do something?”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “Can you _do_ something? Dobe — “

“Please?” Naruto’s cheeks were flushed. “I just...I think I’ll regret it if I don’t.” Sasuke stared at Naruto, who had decided at that moment that he’d rather look at the console, and sighed, removing his hand from the door and turning towards the blond.

“Fine.” Naruto nodded, started playing with his hands. They sat like that for a full minute before Sasuke started to lose his patience.

“Is this it?” Naruto looked up at him, eyes wide.

“What?”

“Is this what you wanted to do?” Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “I swear, moron, if you’re pulling some stunt before you leave — “

“Some _stunt_? I’m not pulling anything, Sasuke, I just — “

“Then _do_ it, Naruto, I don’t have all day to entertain your — “ And that’s when Naruto leaned over and kissed him.

Sasuke had jerked back, mostly out of surprise than anything else. They stared at each other, neither quite sure what to do next. Naruto looked borderline petrified and Sasuke, overall, wasn’t quite sure how he felt.

He took a breath. “Was that it?” Naruto clenched his jaw and nodded. And then Sasuke got out out of the car and left.

Naruto later told him that he had sulked for weeks because he thought he’d screwed up their entire friendship. He was convinced that Sasuke was mad at him, that Sasuke wanted absolutely nothing to do with him now. So he didn’t call, didn’t reach out to Sasuke at all over the summer. Even when he came back that fall, he didn’t tell Sasuke. He’d just shown up to school and Sasuke had happened to see him in the hallway.

Sasuke didn’t know how to explain to Naruto that he wasn’t mad. He had thought about calling him, but he wasn’t at all sure what to say. He was confused more than anything, and he stayed up for nights trying to figure out whether he _did_ , in fact, like Naruto Uzumaki.

He could safely say that he didn’t _dislike_ Naruto. He considered him a friend, albeit an annoying one, and would almost, dare say, admit that he enjoyed the moron’s company _occasionally_. But did he want to kiss him? Have sex with him? Maybe potentially start a family with him? Sasuke wasn’t sure, not when Naruto had initially kissed him, and not now that he had been gone for a few months. 

School soon started and Sasuke firmly placed the Naruto issue at the back of his mind. Naruto was gone, so he figured that he didn’t need to deal with any of the what-ifs anymore. Him figuring anything out at that point would be pointless.

And then he saw those bright blue eyes in the hallway and the air tangled in his lungs and his heart thudded in his chest and he was stopped cold by the realization that, fuck, he maybe sort of liked Naruto Uzumaki and, fuck, he now had the opportunity to do something about it.

So he did.

Approximately a week after he first saw Naruto because he still had to figure out what it was, exactly, that he planned on doing.

He ended up not doing much. It certainly wasn’t romantic by any stretch of the imagination, something Naruto still likes to tease him about. It was simple and straightforward: Sasuke just showed up to Naruto’s ugly ass car after school and demanded that the moron give him a ride home. 

Naruto had been reserved, to say the least. He agreed to give Sasuke a ride because he’s Naruto and will do anything to help a friend, but he certainly wasn’t as exuberant or forthcoming as he had been before the kiss. The car ride itself was silent, awkward, and Sasuke found himself just sitting and waiting for the right moment to present itself.

It wasn’t until Naruto finally pulled in front of Sasuke’s apartment that he finally got the nerve to turn towards the blond. Naruto wasn’t looking at him. He was staring out of the window devotedly, trying his best to ignore Sasuke entirely. So Sasuke, reasonably, jabbed him in the arm.

Naruto jerked, startled. “What was that for?” Sasuke stared into those bright blue eyes and steeled himself.

“Can I do something?”

Naruto blinked. “Can you — what?”

“Can I do something?” Sasuke repeated. Naruto peered at him.

“I...guess? I mean I — “ And so Sasuke leaned over and kissed him.

Naruto didn’t pull away, didn’t react at all. Sasuke moved back and met his gaze.

Naruto took a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair. “Was that it?”

Sasuke nodded. “Is that okay?” 

Naruto slammed their lips together in answer.

Not the most romantic of stories, but it got the job done. Now, had Sasuke been aware that particular moment in time was going to condemn him to a life of Christmas, he might’ve been inclined to think through his decision a bit more. As it stood, though, Sasuke was blissfully unaware of the future that lay in store for him.

The door slams open, shocking Sasuke out of his reverie.

“I’m home!” Naruto barges in, slinging his bag to the floor. He sees Itachi first, puts up his hand in greeting, then turns and stops once he catches sight of Sasuke. The response is instantaneous.

He laughs. Hard.

Sasuke scowls at him. “It’s not funny.” This, however, only serves to make Naruto laugh more. Even Itachi starts chuckling.

“It’s a bit funny,” his brother admits. Sasuke looks down at his glitter-covered hands, then up at the ceiling in defeat. Naruto walks over and gives him a chaste kiss.

“I don’t mind the glitter,” he grins. “You think we can make this a regular thing?” Sasuke stares down at him.

“Kiba’s a fucking moron,” he snarls. Naruto cocks his head in consideration.

“I don’t know, it’s not too bad. Plus, now you match the apartment!”

“Exactly what I said,” Itachi chimes in. He’d returned to his perusal of the candy bowl.

Sasuke glares at them both. Naruto gives him another kiss.

“You’re probably going to want to shower, right?” he murmurs. Sasuke grunts an affirmation, causing a sly grin to creep its way onto Naruto’s face. “Mind if I join?”

Sasuke contemplates Naruto’s offer. “If you pull out the Christmas soap, I’m done.”

Itachi extracts his hand from the bowl. “Guess I’ll be seeing you both later, then.” Naruto looks over at him.

“You’re still coming over on Christmas Eve, right?” Itachi raises a hand in acknowledgment as he hurries towards the door, seemingly anxious to get out before clothes started getting removed. Which, in his defense, had happened multiple times before when he’d been too slow to leave.

“Wouldn’t miss it, Naruto.”

“Don’t forget to bring those cookies, holy shit, those are the best things I’ve ever eaten — “

“I won’t,” The slam of a door. Naruto turns and grins at Sasuke, who rolls his eyes and pokes his boyfriend in the stomach.

“You enjoy tormenting him,” he accuses. Naruto nods solemnly.

“Of course I do, tormenting any Uchiha is a fun activity.” He wraps a hand around Sasuke’s waist. “So, shower?”

Sasuke kisses him. “Shower. And then you can figure out how to clean up the rug and table.”

“Or we can shower, and then I just bought some new sheets — ”

“Do they have reindeer on them.”

Naruto blinks. “What?”

“Do. The sheets. Have. Reindeer. On them?” Naruto purses his lips.

“Maybe.”

Sasuke places Naruto’s head between his hands, brings his face inches from his own.

“I’m not fucking you on reindeer sheets.”

Naruto mimics Sasuke’s position, bringing his hands up to Sasuke’s face. “I hear you and I’m willing to compromise: what about mistletoe sheets? I can grab them from the closet really fast.” Sasuke scrutinizes the blond, trying to tell if he’s joking or not. “Or there are sheets with little Christmas trees. Oh, or I can put on the holly ones, those are nice!”

Sasuke sighs. “You’re really something else, Naruto.” His boyfriend smiles.

“So mistletoe, then?” 

“Just no sheets with animals or faces on it.” Naruto nods, kisses him.

“I can do that.”


	3. The Present

Sasuke would argue that there’s absolutely nothing he enjoys about Christmas, but he has to admit that watching Naruto try and wrap gifts borders on _mildly_ entertaining.

Sasuke lazily glances over at the blond from his place on the couch, resting his coffee on his leg. “Moron.” Naruto _hmms_ in acknowledgment, holding the paper in place with his feet while he pulls off an alarmingly large piece of tape from the roll. With an absurd amount of concentration, he carefully places the tape along the edge and smooths it down with a thumbnail. He must feel Sasuke’s eyes on him because he looks up, a Cheshire grin on his face.

“Voila!” Sasuke looks down at the mess of wrapping paper lying in front of his boyfriend. As much as Naruto loves Christmas, the man apparently never learned how to properly wrap a present. He crumples and creases the paper beyond recognition, suffocating the present under so many layers of gift wrap that the recipient probably needs a knife to cut through it. Sasuke thinks he’s looking at a wrapped box, but he’s not completely sure.

“Just use a bag.” Naruto shakes his head, pushing the crumpled mess to the side and grabbing another unwrapped gift.

“Bags are so _impersonal_. Wrapped gifts are way nicer!” He lays out nearly half the roll of paper, then places a small hat he bought for Sakura in the center. Sasuke rolls his eyes and takes a sip of coffee.

“Suit yourself.”

“Hey,” Naruto points at the pile of presents towering over him, giving Sasuke a sly smile. “Wanna guess which one is yours?” Sasuke glares at his boyfriend.

“No gifts, dobe.” Naruto sniggers, returning his focus to wrapping. Sasuke put a ban on gifts _years_ ago, but Naruto still loves to threaten to get him a present on every birthday and holiday that they spend together. The blond has such a fondness for gift giving that it’s ironic he ended up with someone who has a complete aversion to the practice. He pesters Sasuke incessantly about his hatred for gifts, and Sasuke has yet to be able to give him a satisfactory answer. He can’t really explain why he dislikes gifts; he just knows that he feels terribly uncomfortable every time he’s ever been handed one, even as a child when his parents were still alive. His brother shares the same tendency, practically recoiling if a present is even in his general vicinity.

It is a weakness Naruto fully enjoys exploiting.

“Don’t worry, bastard. No gifts.” Sasuke takes another sip and turns his attention back to the pile of presents, scrutinizing it. While Naruto certainly has a lot of friends, Sasuke knows he doesn’t have _that_ many.

“Dobe, did you buy something for everyone you’ve ever met? Does the lunch lady get one?”

Naruto picks up a small box wrapped in snowflake paper. “She told me a few weeks ago that she lost her favorite — “ Sasuke rubs a hand over his face.

“Why do you like this?” Naruto stops his explanation mid sentence, cocking his head to the side.

“What do you mean?” Sasuke gestures around the apartment.

“ _This_. Christmas.” Naruto considers him, placing the present back off to the side. A small smile flits across his face.

Sasuke is considerably caught of guard by the way he begins his explanation: “I don’t remember my parents. I mean,” he goes back to wrapping. “They died so soon after I was born; of course I don’t remember them. Jiraiya’s told me stories about them, but, you know, it doesn’t really...” He trails off, motioning towards his chest while he reaches for the tape. “It’s great to hear about them but, I don’t know, they just...still feel like strangers.” Naruto stops speaking as he finishes wrapping the present. Sasuke sits watching him, not willing to break the silence.

After a few moments, Naruto continues. “I don’t have a lot of pictures of them. Or of me with them. But I have one of us on Christmas, and my mom is holding me and there’s this giant tree in the back and there’s presents underneath it and — “ he cuts himself off, the wrapping paper and tape and scissors lying untouched in front of him now. “And it just makes me feel close to them. To do all this, you know?” He looks up at Sasuke. “Is that stupid?”

Sasuke shakes his head, numb. “It’s not stupid.” Naruto nods, rubbing a corner of the paper between his thumb and forefinger.

“Thanks,” he mumbles.

Sasuke tries not to complain about Christmas after that.

...the key word being _tries_.

“Nothing’s on fire, the apartment hasn’t burned down, it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine — “ Sasuke stands wide eyed in their doorway, watching smoke steadily filter into the hallway. He drops the groceries and sprints to the kitchen.

Naruto is standing in front of the oven, desperately fanning the air with an old pizza box. Smoke is pouring out of stove, the fire alarm is blaring, and Naruto is giving him an embarrassed smile.

“It’s fine, I swear! Don’t worry, don’t worry, please stop looking at me like that, I’m _handling_ it, it’s _fine_. Did you get the milk and other crap?” Sasuke stares at him, incredulous.

“Dobe, what the _fuck_ did you — “ Naruto holds a hand out towards him.

“No, no, no, I’m dealing with it, it’s fine, just bring in the groceries and leave for like ten minutes and it’ll all be better, I _swear_. I just need to cook this damn turkey — “

“You _moron_ , you’re going to burn the entire complex down — “

“ _Nothing’s burning down_ , it’s fine, just please leave for a few minutes.” Sasuke stares at him, trying to come to terms with the shit storm his boyfriend has created because he _insists_ on making dinner on Christmas Eve. Then he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and stalks out of the apartment. 

It still smells like smoke when he comes back. And several hours later when his brother arrives.

“What, did you guys start a fire or something?” Itachi hands Naruto a tin of cookies and a bottle of wine before shrugging his coat off. Sasuke shakes his head.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Itachi lifts a brow while Naruto lets out a short, nervous laugh.

“Yeah let’s, uh, not...talk about it.” And so the oven incident gets added to the small list of things that they absolutely, under no circumstances, ever bring up, taking its rightful place next to the freshman year housing incident and the junior year flood.

Itachi takes it in stride. “Fantastic,” he drawls. “Are we eating soon? I’m starving.” Sasuke jabs his thumb in the direction of the dining room as Naruto hurries to the kitchen.

“It’s on the table. The turkey’s smoked, though.” Itachi claps Sasuke on the shoulder as he edges past him.

“Is the dessert still in one piece?”

Sasuke sighs, nods. If Itachi could somehow figure out a way to survive on junk food and dessert alone, Sasuke’s sure that his brother would never eat another proper meal again. “The dessert made it out unscathed.”

Itachi smiles. “Then it’s a Merry Christmas, indeed.”

Naruto’s voice filters in from down the hall. “Would you both get in here? Everything’s going to get cold!”

Dinner, thankfully, goes considerably smoother than the actual preparation of the food went. Surprisingly, Naruto puts together a pretty decent meal, something Sasuke still has trouble fathoming given the fact that the blond’s diet primarily consists of ramen and takeout. The only real casualty from that morning’s incident is the turkey, and even that is still edible.

Barely anything is left once they’re done with it all, and Sasuke is thoroughly exhausted by the time his brother leaves. He collapses into bed, curling beneath the covers and willing himself to go to sleep.

Naruto cozies up to him a few minutes later, burying his face against his neck.

“That was a nice dinner, yeah?” Sasuke mutters unintelligibly in agreement. “I mean, the turkey was a bit of a disaster, but other than that, I wasn’t upset with how everything turned out. Especially the pie — your brother ate the ever living shit out of that pie. I think I made the filling a bit too thick, but the crust was good — “ Sasuke tunes Naruto out and instead blinks his eyes open to stare at the red digits of the alarm clock.

11:54

11:55

11:56

11:57. Naruto’s still talking about the damn pie. Something about using shortening instead of butter.

11:58

11:59

12:00. He sighs, burying his head into the pillow. Christmas is officially here.

Naruto chooses that moment to poke him in the back. Hard.

He grunts, swats at the blond underneath the covers. “What?”

“I got you something.” Sasuke stays still, the words taking a a few seconds to sink into his tired mind. Then he looks over his shoulder at the blond, alarmed.

“What?”

Naruto blinks up at him. “I got you something,” he repeats. “For Christmas.”

Sasuke makes a face. “We said no gifts.” Naruto wraps an arm around his waist, pulling him close.

“Don’t worry. It’s not, like, a _gift_ it’s just like, a _thing_.” 

Sasuke sighs and props himself onto his elbow, twisting to face Naruto. “That makes no sense.” 

Naruto laughs. “It _does_ , just,” he takes a breath. “Okay, just, are you ready?” Sasuke lifts a brow, wary.

“For what?”

“For your gift!”

Sasuke glances around the room. “...here?” Naruto smiles. Sasuke stares at him for another beat, then nods.

“Okay.” Naruto takes another breath. Sasuke braces himself, preparing for the worst.

And then the familiar sound of his language pours out of Naruto’s mouth.

The words come out haltingly, Naruto stuttering through most of the sentences. Sasuke has to strain at times to figure out what exactly Naruto is saying through the accent, but he gets the gist of it: “I love you, Sasuke Uchiha, with all of my heart. I love you so much it hurts, even though you’re moody and a bit of a bastard and you kind of hate Christmas.” A pause. “You’re my family, and I never want to spend another day of my life without you. If you’re okay with it, I want to learn how to speak your language. Will you teach me?”

Sasuke gazes down at the blond, the breath leaving his body completely. Naruto looks at him, his lips curling up in a smile. “Did I say it okay?” He laughs; a brilliant, twinkling sound. “Your brother told me my accent is horrible. But I think I’ll get it down eventually, you know, once I practice more? I mean, it did take me a few months to learn that, but you know I’m not that great with languages and your brother is so _busy_ , so I couldn’t practice as much as I wanted to and I mean I think if we start speaking it I’ll...get better.” Naruto trails off, running a hand through his hair. “You know, if you want. To speak it, I mean. With me.”

Sasuke feels the air start to return to his lungs. “Naruto — “

“I just...” Naruto purses his lips and grabs for Sasuke’s hands, presses them against his chest. “I know you don’t like Christmas. And I really appreciate that you put up with all of this just cause you know it means a lot to me. So I wanted to do something that might mean a lot to you. I know you haven’t really spoken the language much since your parents...but I thought that maybe it might — that speaking the language again might give you the same peace that celebrating Christmas gives me. So I wanted to maybe try and learn so that it’s not just you and your brother and you could speak it with someone else and maybe — “

Sasuke leans forward and kisses him.

“I love you.” He says it in his language, revels in the way it rolls off his tongue when he says it to Naruto. “ _God_ , I love you.” Naruto smiles.

“It sounds better when you say it,” he laughs. “So is that a yes? You’ll teach me?” Sasuke nods.

“Yeah, dobe, I’ll teach you.” Naruto grins, pulling Sasuke towards him for another kiss.

“Merry Christmas, bastard.” They sit together in silence, embracing each other.

Naruto, inevitably, fucks it up.

“So...does this mean presents are allowed now?”

“Don’t push it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for reading! Happy Holidays!


End file.
